HDI Announces Three Support Centers Have Achieved HDI Support Center Certification

HDI Announces Three Support Centers Have Achieved HDI Support Center Certification Bronson Healthcare Group, L-3 Communications Government Services, Inc., and NTT Communications Corp. Attain Prestigious Certification COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- HDI, the world's largest membership association for IT service and support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, today announced three new support centers have achieved HDI Support Center Certification (HDI SCC), the industry's leading certification program for support centers. The recently certified centers include: Bronson Healthcare Group of Kalamazoo, Mich.; L-3 Communications Government Services, Inc. of Chantilly, Va.; and NTT Communications Corp. of Tokyo, Japan. First introduced in 2000, the HDI Support Center Certification program is the only open industry standards program for the certification of support center operations. HDI Support Center Certification is designed to improve the effectiveness of the support services industry and support organizations by providing a reference quality model, industry standards that are recognized worldwide, and an accompanying certification program. Evaluation is based on 67 standards statements, each with four levels of maturity to evaluate the support center. In order to become an HDI Certified Support Center, a support center must complete a vigorous on-site audit and achieve minimum scores as defined by the standards committee. HDI Support Center Certification standards and statements can be found on the HDI website at http://www.thinkhdi.com/certification/sitecertification. "We are very happy to add these three support centers to our list of 30 HDI certified centers around the globe," said Ron Muns, founder and CEO of HDI. "As we enter a new year, during which we will be aligning our SCC program more closely with our individual certifications, we expect even more companies will embark on the valuable process of pursuing certification for their support centers." About the HDI SCC-certified Centers Bronson Healthcare Group The Bronson Healthcare Group support center supports more than 300 applications on multiple platforms, operating 24x7 to serve its 3,900+ customers (Bronson employees). Its leadership believes strongly in certification, with all current Support Center staff having taken and passed HDI's Customer Support Specialist (CSS) examinations, and roughly 80% of the staff having just completed HDI's Help Desk Analyst (HDA) certifications as well. Bronson Healthcare Group is a not-for-profit tertiary healthcare system serving southwest Michigan. The organization's vision is to be a national leader in healthcare quality. Bronson Healthcare Group includes Bronson Methodist Hospital, Bronson Vicksburg Hospital, Bronson Medical Group, Bronson Home Health Care, Bronson Staffing Service, Bronson Lifestyle Improvement & Research Center, Bronson Advanced Radiology Services, IBA Health Plans and the Bronson Health Foundation. L-3 Communications Government Services, Inc. The L-3 Communications Government Services, Inc.'s (GSI) Rockville Support Center provides outsourced help desk services, acquisition, asset management, installation, disposal, moves/adds/changes, hardware maintenance and technical assistance with software roll-outs for Montgomery County Government, The Army Center for Substance Abuse Program, The ACCESS Board and the City of Des Moines, IA. The L-3 GSI Rockville Facility Support Center supports all industry standard hardware, software, and desktop applications as well as several client-proprietary applications and tools. Its staff of 25 analysts is strongly focused toward client satisfaction and first-call resolution for its 7000+ user base. L-3 GSI initially made the decision to become HDI Support Center-certified as part of its initial goals for operation and training. However, they also recognized the need for improved processes in all aspects of the rapidly growing Support Center. After looking briefly at two other certification programs, L-3 GSI quickly recognized that the HDI SCC certification is open-standards-based and globally recognized. L-3 Government Services, Inc. is a division of L-3 Communications Corporation. Headquartered in Chantilly, Va., near Washington, D.C., L-3 GSI has nearly 2,000 employees located throughout the United States and the world. Customers include the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, state and local governments, and selected U.S. Government intelligence agencies. NTT Communications Corp. The OCN (Open Computer Network) service support center, the Internet connection service arm of NTT Communications Corp. (NTT Com), serves more than four million customers, and responds to all kinds of inquiries, including those concerning OCN service interruptions and technical support. Given the innate unpredictability of breakdowns, the center provides 24/7 arrangements for telephone inquiries. NTT Com pursued the HDI Support Center Certification with the aim of improving service quality of the OCN service and increasing efficiency. NTT Communications is a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Corporation (NYSE:NTT) -- one of the world's largest telecommunications companies. NTT Com provides high-quality, technologically advanced network management, security and solution services to consumers, corporations and governments on a global basis, with a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region. Its world-class backbone network, combined with the networks of partner companies around the world, offers access to more than 200 countries. NTT Com Group has more than 30 companies in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Americas. The company has garnered several awards for its leading edge technologies, outstanding performance and customer service, including "Best Global Carrier -- 2004." For more information, please visit http://www.ntt.com/ About HDI HDI is the world's largest membership association for IT service and support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry. Founded in 1989, HDI's mission is to lead and promote the IT service and support industry by empowering its members through access to timely and valuable industry information, including reports and publications; encouraging member collaboration through events and online forums; and establishing internationally recognized, standards-based industry certification and training programs. In addition to membership, certification, and training, HDI produces the highest-rated industry event, the HDI Annual Conference and Expo, for service and technical support professionals. HDI is member-focused, and remains vendor-neutral in its efforts to facilitate open, independent networking and information sharing within the association network. HDI has more than 7,500 members worldwide including many of the Fortune 500, and nearly 60 active local chapters in North America. For more information, visit http://www.thinkhdi.com/. For More Information: Jen McClure Albrycht McClure & Partners (510) 868-8152 x200 jenm@ampcomm.com Source: HDI CONTACT: Jen McClure, Albrycht McClure & Partners, +1-510-868-8152, x200, jenm@ampcomm.com, for HDI Web site: http://www.thinkhdi.com/ http://www.ntt.com/ http://www.thinkhdi.com/certification/sitecertification ------- Profile: International Entertainment